- Tyson Fury tests positive, fight now holds October 9 in Las Vegas
Tyson Fury’s World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight title defence against former Champion, American Deontay Wilder, originally scheduled for Saturday, July 24, has officially been postponed after Fury tested positive for Coronavirus (COVID-19).
Last week Thursday, it was officially confirmed by the British boxer’s US-based promoter Top Rank that Fury had contracted COVID-19 and the fight will now take place on October 9 at the same venue, the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Reacting to the news of his positive test, Fury said; “I want nothing more than to smash the ‘Big Dosser’ on 24 July, but I guess the beating will have to wait,” adding; “Make no mistake, I will be back and better than ever. We will fight 9 October and I will knock him spark out.”
From Wilder’s camp, his manager, Shelly Finkel, said; “This is what we went to arbitration for. He just wanted what was owed to him. He remains ready to reclaim his world title on 9 October.”
Both fighters met for the first time in December 2018 at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles, with Fury outboxing Wilder for most of the night. He however suffered knockdowns in the ninth and 12th rounds to settle for a split draw that saw Wilder holding on to the WBC heavyweight belt.
Fifteen months later, the Gypsy King delivered the definitive outcome their first encounter failed to produce, dropping Wilder twice over seven punishing rounds until the American’s corner threw in the towel.
Neither fighter has been in action since. A hotly anticipated unification showdown in Saudi Arabia between Fury and Anthony Joshua, who holds the IBF, WBA and WBO belts, was undone when Wilder’s contractual right to a third fight was upheld in an arbitration hearing.
Joshua is set to defend his world titles against Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk in London on September 25, two weeks before his heavyweight rivals go toe-to-toe in the US for their third confrontation. – With the Guardian reports
